This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 11, how to quickly expand your English vocabulary.
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Hi, Lindsay.
How are you?
Hi, Michelle.
How's it going?
How are you feeling today?
I'm good.
I'm good.
Yeah, I'm excited to be recording here today.
We have a fun topic for today.
I know.
I'm so excited to be here with our listeners.
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Michelle, today we're talking a little bit about vocabulary, right?
Yeah, guys, we're going to teach you some tricks about expanding your vocabulary.
So how can you quickly, you know, grow your vocabulary list and speak like a native.
And this is going to help you with things like your everyday life, but also IELTS and TOEFL, whatever you're taking.
So this is definitely very important, just how to expand your vocabulary.
Yeah, it makes me think of my time living in Tokyo, where I actually, in Japan, it's easy to find those little key chains where they have the little tiny cards, or tiny little rectangular cards for flashcards.
And they can go on your key chain.
It's a brilliant idea.
I don't know why we don't have them here in the US.
Yeah, that would be great.
Yeah, it's fantastic.
And I think some people even put them on their phones.
I don't know.
But I would ride the train you know my day off to Shibuya Shinjuku wherever, and I would have all my congee written on those cards.
And I would just be able to easily study them and just flip through them really quickly.
So the reason that worked is that they were easy to grab and easy to make a part of my life and my commute.
Right, Michelle?
Right.
So I feel like flashcards are a really good way to learn.
Mm hmm.
100%.
Have you have you ever used flashcards and studying languages yourself, Michelle?
Yeah, I have.
I mean, I've like put stuff around the room, you know, to label things, you know all sorts of things, so it's fun.
I mean, I think that's one of the tips for today is, you know, try putting your vocabulary flashcards in different areas of your home, right?
So like put it on the fridge, you know, for a fridge.
I mean, some of this stuff could be for words, that you know pretty well, but But some of it could be for new things, like you know.
Just think of it doesn't just have to be about furniture.
You know, it can just be about different different things that might remind you of something.
It could be colors.
It could be anything.
So you're saying it doesn't have to label the thing that it's stuck to.
I don't think so.
I mean, I think that's the, you know, the way that most people do it.
But I think, you know, get a little bit of a little bit creative.
Like, maybe you maybe there's a picture that you love, that you have from a vacation, and there's a word that you think of uh, that you associate with it and like, think of how that could be useful because you want to, in regular conversations, talk about your travel memories, things like this.
So maybe there are some words that you can associate with that and put those like nearby the picture.
So that's a.
That's kind of a step two way of doing it.
I feel like step one is like labeling objects, things like that.
But once you kind of master those vocabulary words, You can still make it challenging for yourself.
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Oh, totally.
And we have to know.
I mean especially if you're a visual learner like I am.
When I lived in Japan, I put these all.
So in addition to my little keychain flashcards, I had other flashcards all over my apartment.
Tiny, tiny apartment, six tatami mats, so small, but I had words all over it.
Wow.
All over the place.
And because I really wanted to learn, right?
I just wanted to immerse myself and really understand the Japanese when I was there.
So that's what it takes, guys.
You really do.
And especially if you're a visual learner.
Michelle, what kind of learner are you?
Would you say, think i'm also, i'm a mix, but i, i definitely am visual as well.
Okay, visual and verbal?
Would you say yeah, i think.
So i think i like yeah, i like, i like kind of a mix of those two.
But um yeah i, if i had to choose one, i would say visual, Visual.
Okay, got it.
So, so yeah, so as we're saying, guys, you know, put them all over your home on the wall.
I even had them in my bathroom, right?
Put them on your toaster, put them on your fridge.
Michelle, what else?
What else?
Another thing you could do is, instead of just like we were talking about labeling things this kind of goes along a little bit with what I was saying before to change things up.
Write quotes and phrases that you like.
So maybe there's a there's a cool quote that you that you heard in English, that you like, or I don't know.
Just maybe even there's a quote from a song or a TV show, something that makes you laugh.
So put those on the on the wall on your index cards wherever you want to put it as well.
Yeah.
And then I would just add to this as a final recommendation of course, now technology has moved forward.
So we have digital flashcards, right?
Right.
You have apps like Anki, A-N-K-I.
Right.
Which is a flashcard app.
So it's not just the physical anymore, but it depends on how you learn.
I learn well physically still by touching things, having a piece of paper in front of me.
But if you prefer apps, you know, apps like Duolingo have flashcards.
Check out the flashcard world on your phone.
Yeah.
Yes.
I love it.
All right, Michelle, this has been great.
Such a good and concrete tip.
And guys, remember, follow All Ears English.
We're so excited to be here for you guys.
All right, Michelle, thanks for hanging out.
Thanks, Lindsay.
This was fun.
Have a good day.
Bye.
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